


Part II: Family

by JumpingBeans



Series: Behind Blue Eyes [3]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, One Piece
Genre: F/M, Fandom Fusion, Gen, Not a Crossover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-17
Updated: 2015-06-05
Packaged: 2018-03-30 23:25:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3955888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JumpingBeans/pseuds/JumpingBeans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ace didn't want a father. He didn't need a father. He'd lived his entire life without one and would continue doing so until the day he died, whenever that might be. </p><p>Also known as, "The story of how Ace came to accept a father, and a family."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Start Of Something New

**PART TWO**

.

**1st Year, 10 NOV**

.

Portgas D. Ace didn't know where he was running off to. The ship was  _huge_ , so much that it was easy for him to get lost even if he was above deck, but he didn't care. He just knew that he needed to get the  _hell_  away from those three pirates before he was tempted to murder them all. If he could, he would do it slowly, painfully and he would start with the idiot called Thatch first.

But no, Ace couldn't. He  _wouldn't_  harm a single member of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Not while his men were still aboard. Now, Ace didn't really give a shit about whether or not he lived or died, but he wouldn't risk even the slightest chance of putting his men in danger just because he couldn't control his own damn temper.

Ace cared a lot more about others more than he did himself. It was sad, but he couldn't help it. Not after living the life he'd had.

As he continued running, Ace could hear one of them (probably Thatch judging by how grating the voice sounded to his ears) calling out after him, telling him it was just a joke and trying to convince him to come back. The fire user grit his teeth in anger.

It was a joke? Well, was he laughing?

Fuck them. Seriously. Fuck them all. Fuck them for basically kidnapping him and his whole crew out to the middle of fucking nowhere on the damn ocean. Fuck them for assigning him a fucking babysitter. Fuck them for thinking that he was weak enough to not require any fucking Kairoseki cuffs. Fuck them for laughing at him and teasing him and fuck them for being so damn nice and welcoming to him, like he was already part of their fucking family.

Ace could still remember the image of Whitebeard kneeling in front of him, his hand extended and a shit-eating grin on his face.

" _Become my son!"_ he had said.

The fire user let out a soft growl. He would  _never_ become that man's son. Ever. Ace didn't want a father. He didn't  _need_  a father. He'd lived his entire life without one and would continue doing so until the day he died, whenever that might be.

Ace stopped abruptly in his tracks as he suddenly found himself on the main deck.

There were dozens of pirates out there, some busy with their duties while others were relaxing and having a grand old time. There were a few men that noticed his impromptu arrival and even waved cheerfully at him, but the rookie didn't notice. He was too busy staring at the giant throne situated in a sunken circular area right in front of one of the ships main masts. Or more specifically, staring at the man sitting  _in_ it.

Whitebeard turned his head slightly and looked at him with a grin. "Finally woke up son?"

Ace's vision dissolved into red.

 

* * *

 

When Marco and Kagome finally arrived at the source of the explosion, it was just in time to see Whitebeard backhand Portgas into a part of the round staircase where they usually held their parties. The wood collapsed around and under the rookie from the sheer force of the blow, but a moment later he was up and kicking again. His eyes burned with an uncontrolled rage and his whole body became encased in fire. He let out an inhuman roar and propelled himself at Whitebeard once more.

At his departure, several of the crewmembers ran over and hastily began putting out the bits of wood that had caught on fire.

Marco pressed his lips into a thin line as he glanced around the area. Broken railings, destroyed doors, plenty of holes in the walls and on the floor, a dented mast, torn sails and piles and piles of debris everywhere… It didn't look like anything had made it out unscathed from the fight. Even the things that weren't on fire had still been charred by it.

"Wow. Jozu, Blenheim and Fossa are going to have a conniption," Kagome spoke up from beside him. She winced in sympathy as she watched Whitebeard grab Portgas by the leg and smash him against the ground repeatedly like a ragdoll.

"Oh yeah," Marco agreed with a quiet hum. If this was the kind of damage Portgas would cause every time he fought their father… Well, the phoenix kind of pitied his fellow commanders right now. (It was the Third, Ninth and Fifteenth Divisions that were in charge of all the repair work on the Moby Dick, after all.) Because from the looks of things, it seemed like Portgas' attempt on their father's life was going to become a common occurrence in the future.

The two watched the battle (if it could even be called that because of how  _one-sided_  it was. Portgas was clearly outmatched here) in a companionable silence. They, and the rest of the crew, knew better than to interfere.

"Guarararara… Is that all you've got, son?" Whitebeard called out, his tone amused.

" _Stop calling me that!_ " Portgas snarled. His face was twisted with hatred. " _I am not your fucking son_.  _I am no man's son!_ " he declared proudly, before launching himself at Whitebeard once again, his hand formed in a flaming fist.

The world's strongest man didn't even bother to dodge the attack. He simply struck before he had the chance to be struck.

Everyone watched, some in amusement and some in sympathy, as Portgas flew across the main deck and smashed into the mast nearest to the whale head. The force of his impact was hard enough to leave quite the sizeable dent in the sturdy wood.

The fight was over. It was obvious the rookie wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. Not after a hit like that.

"All right men. Let's get to work, yoi," Marco called out in an authoritative voice. "Third, Ninth and Fifteenth Divisions, you know what to do. Everyone else, focus on putting out the fires and gathering the wreckage into a pile. Let's see what we can salvage from this."

The crewmembers on the main deck gave a yell of acknowledgment and began the cleanup it earnest.

With that out of the way, the phoenix turned to Kagome. The woman felt the weight of his gaze on her, and looked back at him. Their eyes met in a silent communication for a few moments before she finally nodded and left, heading in the direction where Portgas had landed.

 

* * *

 

The rookie was sprawled out at the bottom of the mast he had collided with.

There was an unfocused look to his eyes, and he seemed detached from everything that was happening around him. Even without examining him properly, Kagome could already tell that he'd suffered a concussion. She crouched down beside him and began checking him for injuries.

"W-What are you doing?" Portgas slurred, feebly attempting to bat her hands away.

"I'm a doctor and you're hurt," she said simply, not pausing in her task. "Now hold still. I need to see how bad the damage is."

"But I'm not hurt," Portgas insisted, still trying to push her away. Stubborn till the very end.

Kagome sighed softly and looked him right in the eye. Blues met greys. "You've got a concussion, a bad one from the looks of it, and based on the bruises forming on your torso you've probably broken your ribs again. With how hard Jiji's hit you, you might even have internal injuries. So now, are you going to stop fighting and let me examine you, or are you going to wait until you're in a coma, unable to breathe properly because you're too busy choking on your own blood?"

Portgas was glaring at her like he wanted to kill her, but he stopped resisting.

"Thank you."

Without his attempts to fight her anymore, Kagome was able to check him over properly. Portgas flinched every time she applied even the gentlest of pressures on his torso, but he never moved, struggled or said a word. Instead, he gazed out over to the men running around the deck, busy repairing the substantial damage he had wrought in his battle.

A few minutes later, Kagome drew back.

"I'm done," she said, and held up her hands to count off his list of injuries. "So in summary, you've got a concussion, a cut on your forehead, a black eye, bruising on your left cheek, 6 broken ribs, 8 cracked ribs, heavy bruising on your entire back, a broken arm, a sprained wrist, a cracked pelvic bone and a sprained kneecap. But fortunately, it looks like you've escaped the internal injuries this time around."

"So now what?" Portgas asked sharply. "You bandage me up?"

"Now, I heal you…" Kagome replied as she moved to uncork her waterskin. But her hand stopped midway when she took in the agitated state of her patient. Portgas' fists were clenching and unclenching, and he glared and growled at any man that dared to look his way. Kagome guessed that it must have stung his pride something fierce for him to not only be defeated by Whitebeard in such a fashion, but to be helped by her in such a public place.

"…In the infirmary," she finished, and watched as he turned to her in surprise. "Can you walk?"

A moment of silence passed before he finally nodded. "Yeah, I can walk."

Kagome guessed that even if he had two broken legs, he would have said the same thing.

She stood up and kept her hands firmly by her side. She knew that if she offered to help him up, he would rebuff her. Kagome silently watched as Portgas sucked in a deep breath and steeled his expression before gingerly standing up. Flashes of pain still broke through his poker face and when he was finally up, he was swearing up a storm.

Wow. He had  _quite_  the potty mouth.

"Come on. The infirmary's this way," she told him, and gestured for him to follow her. She didn't attempt to touch him, go near him or to offer him her shoulder to lean on. She simply turned and walked.

She hid a smile when she sensed that Portgas started to follow behind.

 

* * *

 

Kagome had to admire Portgas' obstinacy.

With a sprained kneecap, a broken arm, a cracked pelvic bone and that many damaged ribs, he had to be in  _incredible_  pain. Never mind walking, going down the stairs or standing up, even  _staying conscious_  should have been impossible for him.

But not only did Portgas manage all that, he didn't even ask for help.

He just grit his teeth, tolerated the pain, and kept moving forward. Now, he may have stumbled once or twice on his journey, but he never collapsed and Kagome never had to help him. The most she had to do was wait a few moments for him to catch up with her.

"Make yourself comfortable," Kagome said once Portgas crossed the doorway of the infirmary, before going to get her supplies.

By the time she returned, the rookie was seated on one of the beds, holding his unbroken hand delicately to his ribs and occasionally grimacing from the pain. He was looking around the empty infirmary. Based on the curiosity she both sensed and saw in his eyes, Kagome guessed that he was probably wondering how a crew as infamous and as big as theirs was could have no one lying injured here, or why she seemed to be the only doctor aboard.

"I heal the injured as soon as I can," she spoke up quietly.

Portgas' eyes snapped to her. Kagome watched as a mild flush came over his freckled cheeks, confirming that she'd correctly deduced his thoughts.

She continued on, "Afterwards, they don't need to stay. We have nurses too, but they're always with Jiji." Kagome walked over and placed her supplies on the bedside table. Then she pulled up a chair and sat in front of him. "Give me your hand. The unbroken one."

Portgas shot her a wary look.

Kagome resisted the urge to roll her eyes. What? Did he think she was going to break his other arm? She held up a nondescript bottle and a needle. "Painkillers. Binding your ribs is going to hurt. A lot. This is the non-sleeping kind, but it'll still take some of the edge off."

Portgas looked like he wanted to decline them out of sheer pride and stubbornness, but thankfully good sense won over. He held out his hand.

Kagome took it, located his vein and injected him with the painkillers. The whole process only took under half a minute. It was obvious from her speed and efficiency that she'd done this many times before in the past. As they waited for the meds to take effect, Kagome started disinfecting the injury on his forehead. It was a nasty cut, and while head wounds generally bled quite a lot, fortunately this one had already stopped.

Portgas was looking somewhere to the side. He bit his lip as she dabbed an alcohol swab over the laceration, but he never spoke.

Kagome was no stranger to silences. She and Marco had shared many over the years since she'd come to the Moby Dick. But theirs was a companionable silence. This was different. Not uncomfortable, not disconcerting or anything like that. Just different. She didn't know what to feel about that.

"Listen," she ended up saying. Portgas swivelled his eyes to her. "I apologise for Thatch. I know he can be a bit much sometimes, but he'll grow on you."

"Yeah. Like genital herpes," Portgas blurted out, before his mouth twisted into a scowl. Kagome guessed that it was probably because he had resolved not to talk to her anymore but still ended up doing.

"Well, I've never heard it described like that before," the woman said with an amused smile. "Are the painkillers kicking in yet?"

Portgas nodded, still scowling.

"Good."

With that, she pulled away and reached for her supplies from the bedside table. She took the splint and a roll of bandages. Portgas held out his broken arm obligingly and remained still as she gently wrapped it.

Once she was finished, she reached for another roll of bandages.

"Lift up your arms. Carefully," she instructed. Portgas did as he was told, and Kagome started unravelling the bandages around his torso. Binding a person's ribs was always an intimate process. Kagome had to get up close and personal in order to roll the bandages across Portgas' back. Her face was literally inches away from pressing against his skin. Being a doctor, she didn't mind. But Portgas clearly did, as there was a mild blush on his cheeks.

"Let me know if it's too tight or you have trouble breathing," she said, and watched him freeze up as her warm breath came into contact with his skin. Oops.

Portgas behaved like  _quite_  the innocent virgin, didn't he? Kagome knew he wasn't one (he was a 17-year-old teenage pirate, of course he wasn't a virgin) so it was rather amusing to still see him act all awkward around her. Other women might have teased him for this… but Kagome wasn't like the other women.

"There. All done," she announced a few minutes later. She gave one last tug at the bindings to make sure they were secure before finally drawing back. She heard Portgas let out a soft sigh of relief and felt amusement blossom within her. But she didn't let it show outwardly. Oh no. Portgas would probably take offense to that and either fight her or storm off before she could finish healing him properly.

Kagome placed her hand in a basin of water that was on the bedside table.

"Try not to move for this next part," she told him. "It'll be easier for me to heal."

She could sense Portgas' confusion at her words, but she paid him no mind. He would see, soon enough. Kagome lifted her water-covered hand out of the basin and placed it over his chest. She took a moment to focus, and the water started glowing with her energy.

As Portgas' ribs started to heal, Kagome snuck a glance at the rookie. He was staring at her with his eyes comically wide in shock.

Kagome cracked a small grin. "I think you'll find that I'm a woman of many skills, Portgas D. Ace."

.

End Chapter


	2. Sixth Time's The Charm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Let me guess, the patient's run away to try and kill Oyaji again?" Ayumi asked drolly.
> 
> Kagome sighed again. "Oh yeah."

.

**1st Year, 10 NOV**

.

Halfway through the healing of his sprained knee, Portgas collapsed.

He'd been silent and sulking one moment, then unconscious and limp the next. Kagome's reflexes had immediately reacted to save him from an unfortunate meeting with the ground, but it came at the expense of her concentration.

Cradling Portgas' lifeless body against her chest, the woman sighed as the water coating her hand released, wetting their laps, the bed and the floor.

_Perfect._

Kagome gently lowered Portgas back onto the bed and did a quick once-over. Her mind was in a whir. She couldn't think of any medical complication that would cause him to pass out so suddenly. His body signs had been fine. No internal injuries, no more broken bones or concussion. Nothing. Even the painkillers she'd given him were of the non-sleeping variety. Exhaustion maybe? But again, his body signs had been fine.

He hadn't been overtired, not from what she could sense. And her senses were probably  _the_ best on the ship. So what…?

 _Ah_ … She pulled back from her inspection. Portgas hadn't fainted. He was fast asleep.  _So, he has narcolepsy, huh?_

"Well, you're just full of surprises, aren't you?" she said to his sleeping form, an amused smile on her lips. Obviously, there was no reply. But now that she knew there wasn't anything life-threatening happening with Portgas, it was time for her to clean up the spill.

It took a few seconds and a single hand motion for Kagome to gather the spilt water into a ball above her palm. It took another few seconds and another hand motion for her to filter out all the dirt and filth into a smaller separate ball of water that was put into a bowl she had taken from the cabinet.

There. Water, cleaned. Clothes, bed and floor, dry again. It even looked like there hadn't been a spill at all.

Kagome then went back to her healing. She still had a while more to go.

 

* * *

 

Nearly half an hour later, Kagome drew back from Portgas' bedside and deposited the water into the tub with an idle wave of her hand. She then held her arms over her head, stretching until she felt the bones in her back pop.

 _Oh, that felt really good_ , she thought with a satisfied sigh.  _But I'm not quite finished yet._

The woman stood up and spent the next ten minutes putting everything away and tidying up. Their infirmary always had to be neat, clean and organised. Those were the rules, and everyone who worked there followed it unquestionably.

When she was finally,  _finally,_ done, Kagome checked on her patient again. Portgas was still conked out (and from what she sensed, he wouldn't be waking up anytime soon) so she headed down to the mess hall for a quick bite. She'd long since missed the lunch hour, but fortunately the cooks down in the kitchens were always happy to serve anyone who was hungry.

Kagome left the mess hall after her meal, but not before deciding to take back some food for Portgas too. Because if her calculations were correct he hadn't eaten since his fight with Jinbe, and that had been almost nine days ago.

Coupled with the amount of healing she'd done on him… Well, when he woke up again he would most definitely be starving.

She placed the food down on his bedside table before leaving the infirmary again. There was nothing more she could do for him, so there was no point in staying. All it would accomplish was wasting her time. Kagome wasn't too worried about not being in the infirmary in case someone injured came looking for her. Everyone aboard knew that if they ever got hurt, Kagome would be the one to go to them. That was the way things were on the Moby.

And besides, Kagome also needed to talk with Whitebeard's head nurse about his health. She had read about this new type of drug in a medical article and was thinking it might be better to switch out his current one for that. She wanted to get the woman's opinion on it.

"Ayumi, do you have a minute?" Kagome asked softly.

The woman in question broke away from the other nurses and approached her with a warm smile on her face. "Of course, Kagome-chan. Now what can I do for you?"

Kagome smiled back. "Well, there was this new heart medication…"

 

* * *

 

 

Their conversation lasted for quite some time. Anything that concerned Whitebeard's health was a serious matter, after all. They had to be extremely thorough about every detail discussed. Because with the way his health seemed lately, any oversight on their part could lead to very serious problems. The worst of it being death.

The two continued their talk as they headed back into the infirmary. Ayumi wanted to see the medical article that Kagome had read about, as she was still undecided on the matter.

"I'm still not too sure if we should change Oyaji's medication to this new drug…"

"I know the lisinopril is working fine. But don't you see Ayumi? There's always a chance that it might cause Jiji's kidneys to fail one day. But this new drug… it doesn't have that potential side effect."

"There's always a chance it might not, Kagome-chan."

"Are you willing to bet that on Jiji's life?"

"…"

"I'm sorry Ayumi. That was a horrible thing for me to say."

"It's fine Kagome-chan. I know you care about Oyaji as much as anyone on this ship and you're trying to watch out for him. I can't be angry with that. Now, where's this article you read about?"

"…"

"Kagome-chan?"

They had reached the infirmary by now and Kagome was staring at Portgas' bed. Or more specifically, at Portgas' _empty_  bed. The rookie wasn't there. The woman let out a soft sigh when she noticed the plate of untouched sandwiches on the bedside table.

Damn it.

Kagome had been too focused on her conversation with Ayumi to notice when he'd woken up and left. From what she sensed now, he was currently on the other side of the ship, heading towards where Whitebeard was.  _Stubborn till the very end, eh._

"Kagome-chan? What's wrong?"

"Oh it's nothing Ayumi," Kagome said with a shake of her head. "I'll go and get the article for you, but we're going to have to cut our conversation short. And you can help yourself to those sandwiches over there if you're hungry. You know how it's not good to waste food on a ship."

"Let me guess, the patient's run away to try and kill Oyaji again?" Ayumi asked drolly.

Kagome sighed again. "Oh yeah."

 

* * *

 

Ace made several more attempts on Whitebeard's life that day.

The fights never lasted very long, but he still got the shit beaten out of him by the old man for every single one.

To make matters worse,  _that woman_  would appear out of freaking nowhere to drag him away and heal his wounds. It didn't matter where he ran to afterwards. She would always find him, and she would always heal him. Every single damn time. Even though Ace made sure to escape from her as soon as she was done, it was still grating on his patience to be helped like that.

After the sixth failed attempt, Ace finally lost his temper.

"Get away from me!" he snarled when she appeared, tensing like a cat about to attack, "I don't need your fucking help so you just can fuck off!"

The fire user was slumped against the railings that were situated above deck. He'd been thrown against it by Whitebeard from his latest assassination attempt, and currently didn't have the energy to get up.

"Oi! Don't you go talking to Kagome like that!" a passing crewmember said, outraged. He had been walking by carrying the broken pieces of wood from Ace's latest fight. "She's being a saint by helping you every time you get hurt, though I don't know why she even bothers since you keep on going back to Oyaji to get your ass kicked. So the least you could do is be grateful and polite to her."

Ace's face flushed red with anger. "Yeah well, fuck you! I never fucking asked her to help me, you shitty old geezer!"

"What did you say to me you damn brat?!"

"You heard me!"

"Get up and face me like a man you little shit!"

"I don't need to get up to be able to kick your ass you fucker!"

"Why I oughta—?!"

" _Enough._ " The woman ( _Kagome,_ his mind supplied traitorously) placed a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder. "It's all right Joshua. Thank you for the kind defence, but I can handle this."

The man blinked. "Eh? Are you sure Kagome?"

"I'm sure. Portgas isn't the most difficult patient I've had on this crew," she told him, and they shared a conspiratory smile. "And besides, I think I see Jozu over there giving you the stink-eye."

"Eh?!"

The man wheeled around, and sure enough, Ace could see a bear of a man (Jozu no doubt) standing not too far away, watching them with a stern expression on his face.

"Shit! I mean, sorry Jozu-taichou!" the man babbled and quickly went back to work.

Ace watched as Jozu gave them, or more specifically Kagome, a respectful nod. The woman smiled back at him in thanks and he turned back to his men. She then focused her attention back on Ace. She approached him again, this time with her hands help up in a placating manner. He would have run, except he still didn't have the strength to get up. Damn it all to hell. He settled for watching her warily.

"So are you going to let me heal you now or are you going to continue sulking?"

"I am  _not_  sulking!" Ace snapped, before wincing and placing a hand to his ribs. It felt like Whitebeard's punch had broken them again. Great. Kagome noticed his action, and looked at him with pursed lips.

"So will you let me heal you?"

"I don't need your help!"

"Well, you may not need it, but you're going to get it anyway," she told him simply.

"I don't want your pity!"

"It's not pity if I have to ask for your permission. So can I please heal you now?"

" _Why?!_ "

Ace couldn't understand it. He just couldn't. It was just like that crewmember had said. He couldn't understand why this woman kept on healing him like this, even though he always immediately went back out there and got injured trying to take Whitebeard's head. She was wasting her time and her energy with him, yet she kept on doing it.

For a stranger. An enemy.

Ace didn't understand it. Life had thrown too much shit at him for too long for him to ever believe that someone could be this nice. To him of all people. A demon's child.

Ace had seen the worst of humanity. He was jaded. He was cynical. So he couldn't understand why she kept on helping him like this.

"I've told you this before. I'm a doctor, and I have a motto to treat the injured, regardless of who they are," Kagome explained calmly.

"Even if they're your enemy?" he retorted.

She shook her head. "You're not my enemy Portgas. And Jiji doesn't consider you his either. No one on this ship does."

"Well I am!" he insisted vehemently, "I  _am_  your enemy, and I'll kill that old bastard, just you wait and see!"

"That's between you and Jiji, not me," she replied, kneeling down in front of him now. "…So can I take a look at your ribs now? I don't want you to end up puncturing a lung."

Ace bristled. "Don't touch me!"

Kagome pulled back. "I wasn't going to. Not until you let me."

Ace glared balefully at her in silence. She didn't flinch from the force of his stare, nor did she turn away. Finally, after a few more moments of silence, she looked away with a soft sigh.

"Even if you were my enemy Portgas," she spoke softly, "You're still a good man. Anyone can see that."

"What does it matter if I'm a good man or not?"

Kagome's expression turned regretful and she closed her eyes, almost in remembrance. "In my life, I've had to watch one good man die from his wounds because I wasn't, no,  _I didn't_ know how to heal him at the time.  _Never again._ "

Ace stared at her, watching her pale throat bob as she swallowed. The woman looked like she was trying not to cry.

The man that she wasn't able to save, his death really affected her that much? Ace had a brief moment to wonder who that man was, and what kind of relationship Kagome shared with him. A lover, perhaps?

"… All right," he finally said, and she opened her eyes to look at him. Their eyes met. "You can heal me."

His heart gave a weird tug as Kagome flashed him a small, but real, smile.

"Thank you."

 

* * *

 

Just because Ace was willing to let Kagome heal him, it didn't mean that when nightfall came he would be willing to sleep in the same room as her and that pineapple-haired guy. What was his name? Marcus? Marcel? Oh, yeah,  _Marco._

He scoffed. Ace would rather start calling Whitebeard  _Oyaji_  than share a room with Kagome and Marco, his  _babysitters._

He didn't need a room. Any dark corner would do. Ace had spent a whole lot of his youth in the jungle and away from Dadan. He'd lived in a tree house for fuck's sake. He was used to roughing it out.

Ace scowled as his stomach started growling, letting its hunger be known to the world.

Another thing. He may be starving but he sure as fuck wasn't going to  _ask_ for food. Nor was he going to the mess hall, wherever that might be, to take the food there. No. Ace would wait until there weren't many people around, before heading for the kitchens to steal something. He currently didn't know where the kitchens were, but he could always follow his nose.

Ace was a survivor. He would live through this, without asking anybody for anything.

And he would take Whitebeard's head. Even if it was the last thing he did.

.

End Chapter


	3. The Week Of Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You know that he's not going to show up, yoi."
> 
> "Maybe he got lost?" she threw out hopefully.
> 
> Marco raised his brow.
> 
> She met his eyes, and then let out a sigh. "Okay, you're right. He's not."

.

**1st Year, 10 NOV**

.

"You know that he's not going to show up, yoi," Marco spoke up calmly from his bed. He was reclined against the headboard, watching Kagome as she paced from one end of the room to the other in her nightwear.

It was nearing midnight, and Ace still hadn't turned up for bed. Granted, Marco didn't think the rookie would even come back in the first place, because it was terribly obvious that he hated them all with the burning passion of a thousand suns. But Kagome, ever the optimist, still insisted on waiting for him.

"Maybe he got lost?" she threw out hopefully.

Marco raised his brow.

She met his eyes, and then let out a sigh. "Okay, you're right. He's not. Stubborn kid…" she mumbled to herself.

"Where is he anyway?" the phoenix asked curiously.

"Now? Breaking into the kitchens," she replied with a shrug.

Marco's lips twitched. "Thatch won't be pleased, yoi."

"No, he won't."

They both shared a grin, knowing that Thatch would be more than just unpleased. He would probably be throwing a hissy fit, or a whine fest of epic proportions, when he eventually found out that someone stole from the kitchen stores.

While normally Marco would have gone to his brother and fellow commander immediately about the theft, the phoenix was still a little upset with the man for teasing Portgas this morning. He still remembered how Thatch had said something stupid that caused the rookie to upset Kagome and remind her of the past again.

So Marco had somewhat of a petty streak. Sue him.

"Are you planning on telling him?"

"What is Thatch doing?" he asked.

"Sleeping."

Marco snorted. "Well, if his stores get raided and he's sleeping, it's his own damn fault for not practising constant vigilance, yoi. So no, I'm not going to tell him."

Kagome bit her lip, trying not to laugh. "Okay, if you say so. But you do know that Thatch is probably going to whine to  _you_ about it."

"If he does, I could always kick him into the sea, yoi."

This time Kagome did laugh. Marco smiled and felt his insides grow warm. He loved hearing her laughter, because it was such a rare thing from her. Just like her smiles.

"… Do you think we should go get Portgas and bring him back?" Kagome spoke up softly, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Marco shook his head. "Best to leave him be, yoi. You know that if we start interfering with him now, he'll hate us more even more than he already does," he explained.

Kagome let out a sigh. Marco knew it meant she was agreeing with him.

"Ace is a stubborn kid, that's true. But he'll come round eventually, yoi. No one can resist Oyaji for long," Marco declared confidently with a smile, and held out a hand to her. "So just come to bed now. You've done a lot of healing today, yoi."

Kagome looked at his hand for a moment, then walked over and took it.

Marco carefully helped her into bed, and they adjusted their positions until Kagome was the little spoon while Marco was the big. His chin rested directly above the top of her head, while his arm was thrown over her waist. Their knees were tangled together. They took comfort in the warmth of the other's body and closed their eyes.

Soon, they were fast asleep.

 

* * *

 

.

**1st Year, 11 NOV**

.

Ace never did return to their room.

He was also never seen during their meals either. The only indication Marco had that the kid was eating were the times where Kagome told him he was breaking into the kitchens. Thatch complained quite a lot about the missing food, but decided to let it be, because how else were they going to get the stubborn idiot to eat?

It didn't mean that he stopped whining to Marco about it though.

No, he whined quite a lot. It was only when Marco threatened to kick him into the sea, painfully, that Thatch finally stopped. He picked Izou as his new listening ear instead.

Marco snorted. Everyone on the ship knew that it was Izou you never wanted to piss off, not Marco. Everyone but Thatch apparently.

 

* * *

 

.

**1st Year, 13 NOV**

.

Marco sighed tiredly. He was getting too damn old for this.

Ace never stopped trying to kill Whitebeard. He would make many,  _many_  attempts on the man's life during the day and even during the night. No time was sacred, and the crew were starting to get irritated about their interrupted sleep.

If Marco didn't start interfering in this soon, he'd have a murder, or at least a riot, on his hands.

The phoenix was currently on the prowl for the wayward rookie. He didn't have the time during daylight hours to talk with Portgas (that was the downside of running both the 1st and 2nd Divisions, Marco was always too busy to have any down time) but at night, he was free…ish.

He couldn't ask Kagome where Ace was because she was already asleep and he didn't want to wake her up. Marco knew that she was wearing herself out from healing Ace so many times each day. He never asked her to stop, because he understood her reasons for healing anyone injured, but he could let her rest whenever possible.

Based on what his own Haki was telling him, Ace should be somewhere around… here. Ah.

Marco spied him curled up in a dark corner looking like a veritable ghost, as only the whites of his eyes were visible from the shadows. It painted a somewhat frightening picture. But Marco was never one to be scared of the dark.

The man approached him slowly, and watched as Ace's eyes warily tracked his movement.

"It's not wise to attack Oyaji at night, yoi. He doesn't hold back," Marco told him simply.

Ace scowled. "Who the hell wants that shitty old geezer to hold back?!"

The phoenix sighed. "It's for your own good, yoi. If you're knocked overboard at night, it'll be a while before someone can save you. We don't want you to die, yoi."

"Why? Because you'll lose your favourite entertainment?" His tone was mocking.

"No, because you're our brother, yoi."

"I am  _not_ your brother!" he snarled, before getting up and running past the other man in a huff.

Marco let out another sigh at his retreating form. "Brat."

 

* * *

 

.

**1st Year, 15 NOV**

.

Marco rounded the corridor just in time to see Ace get thrown through the wall of Whitebeard's room, slamming painfully against the rail. His sudden appearance startled two of the men who had been drinking right outside.

"Oi, oi! What d'ya think you're doing?" one reprimanded.

"You should be more considerate at this time of night!" the other said.

Ace didn't reply with his usual scathing comment. He was too busy pressing a hand to his nose, trying to stem the flow of blood. Marco wouldn't be surprised if his father had broken it, not after a blow like that.

"Yeah, a lot of us are trying to sleep here!"

"Now we're going to have to clean up after you, so the least you can do is apologise—" The man stopped in his tirade, finally noticing Marco's presence at the other end.

A look from the phoenix sent them both scattering.

Marco slowly walked up to Ace. His footsteps echoed loudly on the floorboards, but he could still hear the rookie muttering all sorts of curses under his breath. He had quite the mouth on him.

The man stopped in front of the youth and eyed him calmly, taking in his ragged appearance.

Ace looked to be in serious need of food and a good night's rest. Well, stealing from the kitchens only during the night and sleeping sporadically with one eye constantly open would drive anyone to exhaustion. The rookie also looked like he sorely needed a bath, but Marco wasn't going to say anything about it. At least, not right now.

"You need some help with that, yoi?" he asked instead, indicating to his injury.

Ace scrambled up, hand still held to his nose, and glared. Then he turned and ran away.

Marco sighed.

 

* * *

 

.

**1st Year, 16 NOV**

.

A noisy crash. Another failed attempt.

Angry mutterings under one's breath.

Footsteps approaching. Eyes meeting.

"You coming to bed, yoi?"

"Fuck off!"

Footsteps running away.

A sigh.

 

* * *

 

.

**1st Year, 17 NOV**

.

It was nearing 9pm when Kagome strode into their room with a determined look in her blue eyes. Marco, who had been going through the division reports at his desk, looked up at her with a raised brow. He didn't say anything though. He didn't need to. He knew that Kagome would tell him when she was ready.

She took a breath. "This can't go on Marco."

 _Ah._ He understood now.

"I know we agreed that we wouldn't interfere with Portgas, but can you still honestly say that now?" she continued, looking at him determinedly. "Almost every member on this crew is seconds away from tossing him overboard just to get a night of uninterrupted sleep, Jiji's orders be damned, and Jiji himself isn't getting as much rest as he should be."

At that sentence, Marco grew concerned.

Kagome noticed it and waved him off. "I just gave him a check-up this morning and his health is still fine, so you can relax. It's just I'm worried that all these nightly attacks won't be good for his heart in the long run. He can't keep using his senses 24/7 to know when Portgas is going to strike next. Even with his title of the strongest man in the world, it'll wear him out eventually."

She walked closer, sat down on their bed and contemplated her hands.

"Portgas isn't doing so good either. He needs regular meals and regular sleep. I'm healing him every time he gets hurt but you know why it won't help." She looked up then. Their eyes met, and Marco saw how serious her expression was. "His body will shut down on him. It's only a matter of time."

There was a moment of silence, before he finally spoke. "What do you have in mind?"

 

* * *

 

Eventually, the two decided on this.

They would let Ace continue with his assassination attempts, for now. They wouldn't try to change his mind, because they both knew first-hand how stubborn he could be when he put his mind to it. If Ace ever stopped trying to kill Whitebeard and joined the crew as their new brother, it was something he had to choose for himself.

Marco and Kagome would just make sure he took proper care of himself until then. They still had complete faith that it was only a matter of time before he came around.

As Marco had said before, no one could resist Whitebeard for long.

 

* * *

 

"Are you sure you don't want me to do it?"

"I can handle him, yoi."

A smile. "I'm not the one who gets yelled a different variation of, 'Fuck you!' every time he even approaches the guy."

An unconcerned shrug. "He's a pirate. It's normal for him to swear, yoi."

"Or  _maybe_  he just likes me better. He lets me heal him, after all."

"Maybe he found you too annoying to resist."

A laugh. "You ass."

"Or maybe Thatch was right and he really does have a crush on you, yoi. I've seen how red his face became when you healed him."

"He was just uncomfortable because I don't think he's used to being treated by a female doctor."

"Or  _maybe_  he's uncomfortable because of something else. Somewhere  _lower_." A suggestive brow.

A snort. "Don't be a pig."

"Oink, oink, yoi."

 

* * *

 

Ace may have been a slippery bastard when it came to avoiding people, but Marco knew the layout of the Moby well enough to manoeuvre around with his eyes closed.

It was obvious that the phoenix was always going to come out on top in their little chase.

Marco watched, his expression calm, as Ace's eyes darted back and forth, trying to find a way out. But it was no use. The older man had finally managed to corner the rookie in a dead-end corridor. If Ace wanted to flee, he would have to go past him.

There was no escape.

"You need to come with me, yoi."

Ace bared his teeth and growled. He currently looked more animal than man. Marco had a ridiculous thought about whether or not he would contract rabies if Ace ever decided to take a bite out of him (because it was looking to be getting more and more likely at the moment) and if his regenerative abilities would be able to heal something like that.

"Fuck off!"

Marco shook his head. "Not this time, yoi."

Ace opened his mouth (to say something scathing no doubt) but at the phoenix's pointed and very serious look, he closed it without saying anything.

"Kagome and I need to talk with you." Marco's tone brooked no arguments. "We wouldn't bother you if it wasn't important, yoi. So will you listen?"

Ace scowled at him, but finally nodded.

Marco sent him a warm smile. "Thank you, yoi."

Ace scowled harder.

Marco ran his eyes up and down the kid's body. Kagome was right. Ace looked like he was going to keel over and die any second. He needed a proper meal and a night's worth of sleep. He also needed a shower. He was dirty as hell. Even standing several metres away from him, Marco could still smell the sweat, blood and sea salt (from being thrown into the ocean so much) emanating from him.

"But, how about a bath and a meal first, yoi?"

"I don't need a damn bath and I'm not hungry!" Of course, it was at that exact moment that the rookie's stomach chose to growl as noisily as possible.

Marco watched as Ace's cheeks flushed with red.  _Heh. How cute._

"I'm not saying you do, yoi. But  _I_ need them. I haven't had my dinner yet because of all the paperwork, and my last shower was two days ago. Kagome's busy with Oyaji right now and won't be free till later on, so would you mind accompanying me while we wait for her to finish? It'll be more convenient, yoi. And I won't be so lonely."

The anger in Ace's eyes had died down a bit. Instead, he looked hesitant now.

"Please?"

After a few more moments, Ace nodded.

.

End Chapter


	4. Setting The Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Kagome and I aren't lovers," Marco continued softly, looking down at the woman slumbering beneath him. His expression was strangely tender. "We're just sharing because the bed you're currently in belongs to her, yoi. Unless of course… you don't mind sharing with one of us instead?" He raised his brows in a suggestive manner.

.

**1st Year, 17 NOV**

.

Ace trailed after Marco silently as the blonde led the way to the communal showers.

The fire user knew where they were located, of course. He had found them after wandering around on his second night of trying to take Whitebeard's head. Ace just hadn't wanted to use them before because someone was  _always_  there. Even during the weirdest hours imaginable. This was the downside of having such a big crew. No privacy whatsoever.

There was probably someone there now, and while a part of Ace bristled at the thought of being naked around his enemies, another part of him was too exhausted to protest anymore.

Which was why he didn't put up much of a resistance to Marco's request or even turn him down flat. Ace may have acted like the fool at times, but he wasn't stupid. He was stubborn, vulgar and very hot-headed, sure, but not stupid. He knew that he was being manipulated by the blonde. It was obvious.

But like he said before, he was too damn tired to give a fuck.

Single meals a day for someone with his appetite, constant paranoia about being on an enemy ship and little to no rest would drive anyone to exhaustion. Even Ace's frequent narcotic attacks hadn't helped with his fatigue.

There was also a small (read: large) part of Ace's brain that was sorely craving for a shower.

He felt absolutely disgusting, and probably smelt a lot worse. Ace had lived in the mountains and out in the wild for most of his youth, but even this level of filthiness was too much for him to handle. Not to mention, the hot water was going to be  _heavenly_ on his aching muscles.

But of course he wasn't going to let Marco know it.

No, Ace still had his pride… which was probably non-existent at this point, because in retrospect the fire user was obeying the blonde like a performing monkey.

Damn it.

Suddenly not that tired anymore, Ace was tempted to just get the fuck out of there. And fuck that stupid pineapple-head and that meddling woman for wanting to talk to him. They could go to hell for all he cared. Ace wasn't  _tamed_. He wasn't some sort of trained pet that would come when called.

No. Ace was the captain of the fucking Spade Pirates. He was the super rookie who had gotten a 350 million bounty in ten months of piracy, who had turned down becoming a Shichibukai.

He wouldn't ever stop trying to kill Whitebeard, wouldn't ever call him his  _father_ , and he sure as hell wouldn't become that man's  _son_.

_Hang on a minute…_

Ace frowned when he finally paid attention to where they were heading. He may not have been aboard long and the Moby Dick may have been like a labyrinth with its many levels and hallways, but Ace was sure that this wasn't the way to the showers.

So where the fuck were they going?

Or had the blonde been lying to him all along? Was he lulling Ace into a false sense of security, but was actually taking him someplace quiet to get murdered and thrown overboard?

Ace tensed, clenching his fists and readying himself for any sudden attack.

"Relax, yoi," Marco called out quietly over his shoulder, not bothering to stop or turn around. "Commanders have a separate bathroom from our subordinates. It's a little out of way from the communal showers but it's usually empty and I like the quiet, yoi."

Ace briefly wondered if the man was a mind-reader.

"Not really," Marco said, sounding amused. "Your emotions are like an open book, yoi. Any fighter worth his salt can easily sense the amount of  _sakki_  you're letting out. Either you learn to curb it or you'll never pull of any stealth attacks on anyone. Unless of course you're trying to sneak up on the dead, yoi." Marco took a left turn. "Bathroom's down this hall."

The freckled man followed with a scowl on his face, resisting the urge to throw a fireball at the man's stupid head.

 

* * *

 

The commanders' bathroom was a bit smaller than the communal ones. Well, obviously it would be, since the Whitebeard Pirates only had sixteen divisions.

 _But_ , Ace thought as he stepped inside,  _it's a lot better._

Four stalls lined each side of the walls, with a long bench splitting the room down in the middle. No smells of sweat, cleaning chemicals, damp or scented shampoo that had been prevalent in the communal bathrooms. No naked men loudly having a conversation from across the room as they washed the dirt off of their bodies, and especially no one comparing dick sizes in the corner.

It was quiet, and clean even.

"If you decide to join me, the towels are in there, yoi," Marco told him, pointing to a cabinet beside the entrance. "Just take any one." With that said, he made his way over to the bench and started to strip.

Ace turned away, deliberately choosing the shower stall furthest away from the blonde.

He quickly undid his boots and shrugged off his shirt. After a moment of wary consideration, he took an experimental sniff at the fabric. The fire user pulled away quickly, his face twisted in disgust.

_Urgh._

Ace was no stranger to being dirty and smelling bad, but  _that_ … he wrinkled his nose. He was sure there was no word in the world that would ever be able to fittingly describe that stench. Okay, that settled it. He would be washing all of his clothes. And thanks to his devil fruit abilities, they would be dry in no time.

Because there was no way in hell Ace was ever going to ask Marco if there were any new clothes he could borrow.

The man in question was currently sitting on the bench, untying his unnecessarily complicated sandals. His shirt, belt and sash were on the spot next to him. Ace's gaze roamed over the man's bare upper body, taking in the firm muscles and lean form that did little to suggest at the man's true strength as First Division Commander.

From his position, Ace could also barely make out the purple tattoo on the man's chest. He scowled.

"Something I can help you with, yoi?" Marco asked lazily, not even pausing from his task.

Ace flushed and looked away, realising that he had been caught like a girl staring at her crush. He continued with his stripping, this time pointedly refusing to look in the blonde's direction at all. Once he was fully nude, he stepped into the shower and turned the tap.

Ace almost let out a moan at the sensation of the warm water hitting his body. The longer he stood under the spray, the more he felt his aches and tensions fading away. Why hadn't he done this sooner? To hell with other people being in the shower with him next time. He wouldn't give a damn, not when it felt this good.

It was so tempting to stay under there forever.

Eventually though, the sound of another shower being turned on snapped Ace out of his bliss. He grabbed the bottle of shampoo and started washing his hair.

After rinsing off, it was his body's turn. Ace made extra sure to scrub himself and his clothes thoroughly. When he was satisfied of being clean enough, the freckles man turned off the tap and stepped out of the stall. He wrung the water out of his clothes as best as he could before putting them on. There, his Mera Mera powers would take care of the rest.

"All done, yoi?"

Ace turned to see Marco sitting on the bench, head bent down as he towelled his hair dry. With the exception of his shirt, the man was fully dressed. Even his stupid sandals were already strapped on.

"Yeah," Ace replied.

"Good." He watched as the blonde stood up and put on his shirt. Then he headed for the exit, dumping his used towel in a laundry basket that was on the other side of the doorway. He turned to look at Ace, his eternally lazy expression in place. "Now it's time for dinner. I don't know about you, but I'm starving, yoi."

 

* * *

 

Instead of staying in the mess hall, Ace followed Marco to a door that led to the kitchens.

"Like I said before, I like the quiet, yoi," the blonde told him with a small smile and pushed the door open, stepping inside. Although it was nearing 11pm now, there were still chefs milling about. They were chatting as they took long pulls from their bottles of rum, and one would occasionally add spices or whatever to a simmering pot of broth.

A single look from Marco had them all fleeing as if their very lives depended on it. Ace snorted. It probably did.

The freckled man watched as the blonde headed to the pot, trying very hard not to salivate at the delicious smells of food. He hadn't eaten in over 24 hours, and the hunger pangs were driving him crazy. He needed to eat.

"Take some if you want," Marco spoke up, grabbing a bowl and scooping some broth into it. "I won't stop you, yoi."

"I'm not hungry!" Ace snapped.

He wasn't going to be taken pity on. He also wasn't going to  _ask_  for food. His pride wouldn't let him.

"I didn't say you were, yoi," Marco replied with a shake of his head. He was grabbing some rolls of bread from a basket now. "I was just telling you that it's okay to take the food. It's up to you what you want to do with it. Eat it, start a food fight, it's your choice, yoi."

Ace looked at him, frowning suspiciously. "Why?"

"Anything food related is under Thatch's division, not mine. It's not my place to interfere, yoi," Marco stated firmly. "Take some, don't take some, it's up to you. I won't stop you if you do. Because no matter what you may think Ace, you're not our prisoner, yoi. You're free to do whatever you choose, even if it includes trying to kill Oyaji."

With that said, the blonde fell silent. He didn't say anything else, just continued piling some pieces of meat and vegetables on a plate. When he had taken enough food to satisfy his appetite, he made his way over to a table, sat down and started eating.

Ace stared at him for a moment, debating on what to do.

He was stubborn, sure, but not stubborn enough to resist when there was so much food around him. He was  _hungry_  damnit.

"… Don't think that just because I'm eating, it means you've won. I won't stop trying to kill that old geezer. I'll never stop," he finally said, and turned to grab a plate, or several actually. He was sure that given the chance, he would be able to finish everything in the kitchen.

Because his back was turned, he didn't see Marco's small smile. "I wouldn't dream of it, yoi."

 

* * *

 

Ace ate, and ate, and ate.

He started with the meats first, and when he'd finished that, he moved on to the fish. Then it was the bread next. The rice. The soup. The vegetables. Ace devoured everything he could get his hands on. Occasionally, the fire user would stop eating to look at Marco, to see if the man would speak up, to tell him that he'd had more than enough, that it was time to stop.

But Marco never said a word.

Instead, he just concentrated on his own dinner, chewing slowly, as if he were savouring the taste. When the blonde couldn't finish, he pushed his plate across the table to the freckled man, who gobbled it down as well. Ace ate until he was full, even for his bottomless pit of a stomach. He ate until he couldn't take a single bite more, until the kitchen was almost depleted of its food.

It was the best meal he'd had in a very long while.

 

* * *

 

It was sometime past midnight when the two finally left the kitchen. Their walk back to the blonde's quarters was quiet, the only sound being their footsteps creaking on the floorboard. When Ace followed Marco into the dimly lit room, he immediately spotted Kagome sitting on the bed opposite the one he had first woken up in, holding a sheathed sword in her hands.

The freckled man recognised it as the one she always had strapped to her side. The emotions on her face as she stared at it… Ace could make out the nostalgia and the regret. He wondered why.

He watched silently as Kagome looked up and saw them.

"Oh," she said, a small smile breaking out on her lips, "Welcome back."

Ace felt something warm blossom in his stomach, and immediately chalked it up to the full dinner he'd just had. Or maybe it was because of his inner fire. Yeah, that was the reason. It wasn't because her words had made him happy, had made him feel like he was wanted here. Had made him feel like he was coming home.

Nope. Not at all. Ace scowled. This would  _never_ be his home. No way in hell.

"So," he said, crossing his arms. "You guys want to talk to me about 'something important.' What?"

"Well…" Ace watched as Kagome put her sword aside. She then stood up and the freckled man hurriedly averted his eyes, silently willing his cheeks not to turn red at the sight of her attire.

The woman was dressed in a well-worn shirt that was several sizes too big for her. Because of the pale material of her blouse, Ace could again make out the indiscernible red shape that he'd noticed at her right hip a week ago. Definitely a tattoo then, he was sure. But it wasn't because of her tattoo that made him shy.

No, it was because he could see, clear as day, that Kagome wasn't wearing a bra underneath, and that the bottom of her shirt barely hid the sight of her panties.

So Ace behaved like a blushing virgin around women.

It wasn't really his damn fault in the first place. Until he'd left Dawn Island ten months ago, he didn't really have the opportunity to interact with the opposite sex much.

It didn't matter if he was a pirate now. He still needed more time to get used to it.

"…Marco and I, we've been talking," Kagome said, and Ace watched her exchange a glance with the blonde. At his nod, she continued. "About you, Portgas. We've been leaving you alone for most of the time this past week, letting you do your own thing. But now we feel that you aren't really taking proper care of yourself, so we want to set some simple terms for you to follow."

Ace let out a growl. Terms? To  _control_  him? Fuck that.

He turned away to leave, but to his irritation, Marco was blocking the door. Ace would either have to fight the man to get past, or make a new exit through the wall.

"Get out of my way!" he grit out.

"Listen to her, yoi," Marco said, his tone dead serious. His normally sleepy expression was sharp as well. "You know that you can't keep living like this. Sooner or later, you're going to burn yourself out, yoi."

"It's either you collapse from the lack of proper meals and sleep," Kagome interjected, and Ace turned to growl at her. She ignored it. " _Or_ , someone from this ship eventually lashes out at you because all your nightly attacks have finally driven them insane. This isn't the time to be stubborn Portgas. Marco and I aren't against you on this. We only want you to take care of yourself."

"So, these are the terms, yoi." Marco held up his hand and began counting off his fingers. Ace wheeled around to glare at him. "One. You're not allowed to attack Oyaji at night. It's impolite to bother the rest of the crew to clean up your mess, yoi.  _But_ , you can try as many times as you want during the day. Two, if you're injured, you let Kagome heal you. No excuses, yoi. Three. If you're hungry, you will eat. Don't starve yourself and wait until it's past midnight to break into the pantry. Just go into the kitchens and take what you want, yoi. No one will stop you. Four. You can spend the day anywhere on this ship, but at night you need to return by midnight. And lastly, five. You need to sleep here every night. Any questions, yoi?"

"Yeah," Ace said venomously, "How about you go fuck off and die?"

Marco sighed and crossed his arms. "I could just drag you back and chain you to the wall every night, brat."

"I'd like to see you try!"

"I don't need to try, yoi. I know I can do it."

"Fuck you!"

"With pleasure."

"Marco," Kagome chided, and the blonde let out another sigh.

"Listen up, yoi," he tried again, ignoring Ace's growl of anger. "Kagome and I are asking you nicely here. We didn't have to make up these rules for you. We could have just imprisoned you or even executed you because you're the guy who's been trying to take our captain's head, yoi. But we didn't, and we're not going to."

"Yeah, well why don't you?" Ace snapped.

It was fucking bizarre. The freckled man had already tried to kill Whitebeard over thirty times this past week. He had stolen their food and he had destroyed a lot of the ship during his fights.

Yet he wasn't punished, confined or even killed. Instead, he was always healed whenever he got hurt and although the men may have grumbled about it, they always patched up the damage he'd caused. Ace still had his freedom, the one thing he treasured the most in the world other than his brother, and he couldn't understand  _why._

"It's not what Oyaji wants," Marco explained calmly. "He told me to take care of you, so that's what I'm doing, yoi."

"I don't need you to take care of me!"

"Well, too bad." He glanced at Kagome. "Because you're stuck with us, yoi."

"We're not telling you to stop trying to kill Jiji," Kagome said with a shake of her head. "Because that's something you have to decide for yourself. We know that. We just want you to take care of yourself better. Not drive yourself to exhaustion."

Ace scoffed. "Aren't you afraid I'll finally manage to kill that old fart if I'm back to full strength?"

"No. Oyaji is too strong to be defeated by the likes of you," Marco said confidently.

"Fuck you!"

"Not helping Marco," Kagome intoned, her voice dry.

The blonde shrugged nonchalantly. "What? It's true, yoi. Oyaji has decades more worth of experience compared to this guy," he jerked his thumb in Ace's direction. The freckled man bristled in response.

"Look Portgas, we just want you to follow these five rules," Kagome told him. "That's all."

"It'll be easier for everyone if you do, yoi," Marco interrupted calmly. "But remember Ace. Just because Kagome and I are asking you nicely on this, don't assume that we're pushovers. I wouldn't be lying if I said that she and I are one of the strongest people on this ship."

"Marco…" Kagome said with a shake of her head. "You know I don't fight anymore."

"But it doesn't change the fact that you're still strong as fuck, yoi," the blonde replied bluntly.

Kagome's smile was wry. "Oh really?"

Ace looked between the two, ignoring the rest of their conversation. His mind was currently reeling.

Marco being one of the strongest fighters of the Whitebeard Pirates didn't surprise him. The guy was the First Mate and the First Division Commander after all.

But Kagome?

The passionate doctor who was too damn nice for her own good? She didn't even look like she could hurt a fly, much less be a formidable a fighter as Marco claimed she was. How in the hell was she one of the strongest people on this ship? Appearances really were fucking deceiving, weren't they?

Ace snapped out of his thoughts when Marco cleared his throat. The blonde was looking at him again.

"We don't want to, but we will force you on this issue if it comes to that, yoi," he said. From the seriousness in his eyes, Ace knew that he'd meant every word. "So, will you follow the five rules?"

The fire user wanted to protest more, because who did they think he was? Ace wasn't some trained animal that they could order around for treats. He was Hiken no Ace, the super rookie who would be the one to take Whitebeard's head and become the next Pirate King, finally surpassing his accursed father once and for all.

But just as he opened his mouth to refuse, he felt a wave of exhaustion crash over him. It was a lot worse than the previous times because of the full meal he'd eaten. Ace knew that he didn't have strength to object anymore.

"… Fine," he said curtly. He shuffled his way over to the bed he'd woken up in a week ago and sat down.

Ace would obey their stupid rules for now. But as soon as tomorrow came, he would disobey them. Because no matter Marco and Kagome liked to think, they didn't control him.

No one did. Ace was free. He was freer than anyone in this entire world, and always would be.

"Thank you," Kagome told him softly, but Ace only scowled back.

"Screw you."

The woman wasn't too bothered by his scathing reply. She just silently went over to her bed, reverently picked up her sword and propped it up against the wall beside the headboard. Then she sat down.

Ace watched from his own bed as Marco (currently with nothing but his pants on) moved past Kagome towards the inner part of the bed towards the wall while she blew out their bedside candle. The two then lay down and the blonde threw a blanket over them. The room became enveloped with silence as they settled in for some rest.

The fire user hadn't lain down yet though, nor had he blown out his own bedside candle, because he was sure that the softness of the mattress and the darkness would lull him to sleep pretty easily.

The paranoid part of him wanted to wait until he was sure they were both asleep before succumbing to slumber.

Ace clenched his hands into fists, praying that his body wouldn't shut down on him till then. A slight noise from the other end of the room caused him to look up, and he blinked when he realised what he was seeing.  _Huh_. The room may not have been well lit, but Ace could still make out how closely their bodies were pressed together under the covers.

The freckled had wondered about it before, but watching them now, he was sure.

Kagome and Marco were lovers. It was obvious from the way they acted around each other, to how they understood each other without saying anything and to how they could finish each other's sentences.

Sharing a bed seemed really insignificant in comparison.

"…It's not like that, yoi," Marco spoke up suddenly, startling Ace. The blonde man was watching him lazily, with his head propped up by his hand and elbow.

Ace flushed when realised he'd been spotted spying. Again. He scowled. Damn that stupid man with the stupid hair.

"Kagome and I aren't lovers," Marco continued softly, looking down at the woman slumbering beneath him. His expression was strangely tender. "We're just sharing because the bed you're currently in belongs to her, yoi. Unless of course… you don't mind sharing with one of us instead?" He raised his brows in a suggestive manner.

Ace choked. Him and Marco sleeping in the same bed, with Ace in Kagome's position or him and Kagome in the same bed, with him in Marco's position?

The freckled man felt himself grow hot at the imagery his brain had conjured up.

Marco chuckled. "Well, it looks like we'll be sticking with the current sleeping arrangement, yoi. Not if you're turning that red at the mere thought of it." His lips were quirked with amusement.

Ace looked down and cursed.

Even in the weak candlelight, it was still noticeable that he'd turned blushed all the way down to his chest. Damn it all to  _fucking_  hell.

"Fuck you!" Ace hissed quietly. He may have been rude to the Whitebeard Pirates most of the time (what with his attacks in the middle of the night and all) but he still wasn't rude enough to wake a person sleeping in the room with him. He wasn't  _that_  much of an asshole.

Marco only chuckled harder.

Ace flipped him off with both fingers and spun around so that his back was facing the man. What he didn't count for, however, was becoming entangled up with the blankets he never bothered to pull back and losing his balance.

The fire user was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

.

End Chapter


	5. Following The Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rookie really had to be one of the most stubborn people Kagome had ever known. 
> 
> Each night, he bullheadedly refused to return to the room even after midnight, and each night Marco had to be the one who always went out and dragged him back.
> 
> Kagome had offered to fetch Portgas in his stead before, but the man always turned her down.

.

**1st Year, 18 NOV**

.

By the time Ace woke up the next morning, (feeling more well-rested than he'd had in a week) Kagome and Marco were both gone. There was food laid out on the bedside table again, just like when he came to from his narcoleptic attack in the infirmary.

Ace doesn't touch it.

 

* * *

 

Another day full of assassination attempts and damaging the Moby went by.

But at least, Kagome was happy to note, Portgas wasn't stubborn enough to starve himself this time. Thatch reported that the rookie had come into the kitchens several times during the day and ate enough food fit for ten men. So the regular meals and the healing sessions – that was two rules followed. The other rules… not so much.

Kagome glanced at the clock. It was past midnight now, and Portgas still hadn't shown up for bed.

She then looked to Marco. The man was at by his desk, going through his mountain of paperwork again. As if feeling the weight of her gaze on him, he paused in his reading and turned to face her.

Their eyes met in a silent communication for a few seconds and in unison, the two sighed with exasperation.

Marco quietly shuffled his papers into a neat pile before standing up. He stretched, feeling the bones in his back pop from being hunched over the desk for too long.

"He's hiding in the boiler room," Kagome told him helpfully from her place by the bed.

The man didn't reply as he strode out the door.

 

* * *

 

Fifteen minutes later Marco returned, this time with Portgas in tow.

The rookie was silent and majorly pissed off, yes, but also strangely compliant. He wasn't being dragged or anything, like Kagome expected him to be, but instead willingly followed after the phoenix into the room. Kagome didn't understand why until she noticed the large forming on Portgas' forehead, along with the various other bruises on his torso, most likely caused from crashing into something with great force.

She sighed. "Really Marco?"

"I warned him, yoi," the man replied lazily. "He didn't listen."

"You whacked him because he didn't listen?" Her tone was full of disapproval.

"No, I  _kicked_  him because he tried to throw a fireball at my head when my back was turned, yoi."

"Isn't that a bit much?" Kagome asked with a sympathetic wince.

As a doctor who healed people in times of battle, she'd seen first-hand the kind of damage Marco could inflict on his enemies with his haki-infused kicks. Even Jozu in his diamond form wasn't completely immune to them. And now, from how the phoenix sounded when he answered, Kagome knew that he hadn't held back on strength for the rookie.

"Well, then he shouldn't have tried to throw that fireball at me, yoi."

"It's not like it could have harmed you, you know," she stated dryly, and stood up to retrieve her waterskin. With Marco's regenerative abilities, the burns would have been healed in a matter of seconds.

"Maybe. But I can't regenerate hair, and I have no desire to go bald, yoi," the man said, going back to his desk again.

 _Ah._ So that was explained why Marco got so harsh with Portgas. If there were one part of his appearance the phoenix had to be vain about, it was his hair. Everyone aboard knew that if they damaged even one blonde lock, it was equivalent to signing their own death warrant.

Portgas was sitting on his bed when Kagome approached him. She made sure to do it in a slow and gentle way, like how one would behave when one went near a wild and possibly rabid animal. She could practically sense the anger rolling off of him like a tsunami, and although he hadn't looked at her yet, he glared at Marco like he wanted to kill the man in the worst way possible.

She knew that she had to be more delicate around him than usual.

Kagome uncorked her waterskin, gathered the water to her hand and pressed it lightly to his forehead. Portgas still let out a hiss of pain though, and his gaze swivelled to her angrily.

"Watch what you're fucking do—" he growled, before stopping abruptly.

His eyes widened and a prominent blush quickly formed on his freckled cheeks. Kagome noted, with a small measure of amusement, how mortified Portgas seemed to be as he stared at her chest. Or more specifically, at her bare breasts. Kagome generally didn't wear a bra when under her shirt she went to sleep because she found them much too uncomfortable as she always slept on her side, cuddled up with Marco.

Well, Kagome wasn't too bothered by Portgas staring at her like that.

From the time she was six years old,  _he_  had raised her alongside his sons who would eventually grow up to take on the names of  _Ryuuou_ and  _Maou_. Growing up in such close proximity with the two boys had made Kagome a bit of a tomboy herself. Plus with her current occupation as a pirate, well, let's just say being ashamed about nudity wasn't really in her blood anymore.

"Hold still," she told him softly, and the water started to glow. She wasn't so mean as to tease him about his embarrassment.

Her actions seemed to be the thing that snapped Portgas out of his trance. The rookie hurriedly averted his eyes, choosing to stare somewhere off to the side, where the wall was.

He didn't say anything more or look back to her as she healed him, and it was a long while before his blush faded away.

 

* * *

 

.

**1st Year, 21 NOV**

.

Kagome stood away from all of the chaos currently going on. She surveyed the scene before her with a calm eye, entirely focused on locating anyone from the crew that was injured.

The Whitebeard Pirates were fighting against a hoard of marines on the main deck of the Moby. There was also fighting happening on the decks of the four other marine ships (with Jozu, Thatch, Vista and Haruta's divisions leading the assaults) but this was where the majority of the battle was taking place.

The woman pursed her lips as a man from Kingdew's division threw someone overboard.

It was rare for them to encounter the Navy in their path. The World Government generally ordered marine vessels to avoid the Whitebeard Pirates at all costs because it was known that they would be decimated, no matter how big their fleet was or how strong they were.

Whitebeard's crew was always stronger.

If the Whitebeard Pirates were ever attacked, it was usually by upstart pirates and/or their crews because they'd somehow gotten it into their heads that they had what it took to kill Edward Newgate. Like Portgas, they were quickly beaten out of that notion, but  _unlike_  Portgas, they were never taken aboard or asked to be Whitebeard's newest son before.

Kagome averted her gaze from the fighting (not wanting to see a marine get stabbed through the stomach by a man from Curiel's division) and glanced up, sensing a familiar presence.

She spotted Portgas standing on the level above the main deck, with his elbows resting casually on the railing.

He was watching the battle going on with an almost bored look on his face.

The rookie really had to be one of the most stubborn people Kagome had ever known. Each night, he bullheadedly refused to return to the room even after midnight, and each night Marco had to be the one who always went out and dragged him back. Kagome had offered to fetch Portgas in his stead before, but the man always turned her down.

"You're doing a lot more healing than you're used to, so you need the extra rest, yoi."

That was what the phoenix told her every time she volunteered. While Kagome did believe his reasoning, she could also see that Marco took pleasure in using excessive force to bring Portgas back. It was most probably payback because the rookie tried to throw a fireball at his head.

Portgas had  _no_  idea what kind of landmine he'd stepped on by trying to harm Marco's hair.

Kagome was still watching him, so she noticed the exact moment his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the battle. The nonchalant boredom had faded away, replaced with something like… concern? His hands, still resting on the rail, twitched once before relaxing. Portgas looked like he was holding himself back (with some effort) from doing something.

Kagome whipped around, senses on high alert, just in time to see a member from Rakuyo's division get stabbed in the back by a marine some distance away. The man collapsed to the ground and the enemy raised his blade for a killing strike.

No one else on the crew had noticed their fallen brother.

_Shit!_

Kagome took off running. She uncorked her waterskin as she moved and took control of the liquid inside. She willed with all of her being for the water launch out of there in an attack, to stop the marine from killing that man.

But it was no use. The water would not obey. It refused to.

" _Kagome,"_ **his**  voice suddenly resonated in her head, sounding so tired and so bittersweet. _"My little bird. You are going to become **such**  a beautiful, powerful, pirate someday. I only regret that I will not live long enough to see it…"_

Kagome clenched her hands into fists.

 _He_  was wrong. Marco was wrong. They were both so, so wrong. Kagome wasn't a powerful pirate. She was a weak one. Pathetic. She was so goddamned weak. Because she couldn't  _fight_  anymore. She couldn't use her powers to fight anymore.

 _His_ death had robbed her of the ability to do so.

Kagome charged at the marine, preparing to draw her sword. Before she could reach him however, a form enveloped in blue fire zoomed past her and launched a flying kick at the enemy.

She heard multiple bones cracking from the impact and the man ploughed through the side railing of the Moby and went overboard.

Now that the threat was taken care of, Marco, in the glory of his hybrid form, kneeled beside his fallen brother. His normally lazy expression was changed to one of worry as he examined the injured man. Kagome approached them and sank to her knees. She placed her hand briefly over his in thanks for his timely arrival.

"I've got this," she told him softly, and Marco nodded his head in acknowledgment.

Then she focused her attention on the incapacitated crewmember. Fortunately, he was still conscious and while his wounds were serious, they weren't at that life threatening stage yet. Not if she started treating him now.

"Don't move," she instructed him firmly. "Just stay like that."

"G-got it, Kagome-san…"

The woman carefully channelled the liquid out of her waterskin and pressed it gently to his stab wound. It started to glow with the power of her healing and slowly, but surely, the wound started closing. Kagome continued to remain at the injured man's side while Marco stood vigil over the both of them, making sure that there weren't any marines who took advantage of her distraction.

When the man's condition was finally stabilised, Kagome allowed herself to briefly glance up at Portgas.

Their eyes met across the deck. Blues and greys. Portgas' facial expression was carefully blank, but Kagome could sense the myriad of emotions swirling inside of him.

Anger, shame, regret, stubbornness, consternation, pride, and relief.

He had seen the marine sneaking up on that man. He could have done something to help, could have prevented him from getting hurt, and almost had, if the twitching of his fingers were anything to go by.

But he hadn't. He just let that man get cut down.

If Portgas hadn't been warring with himself over his decision to not help that man, Kagome didn't know whether she would have  _ever_  been able to look him in the eyes again.

 

* * *

 

.

**1st Year, 27 NOV**

.

Portgas was finally following the rules that Kagome and Marco set for him without prompting.

Whenever he got hurt, he would let Kagome heal him without resisting. If he were hungry, he would go directly to the kitchens and eat as much as he wanted. (Thatch was now moaning how at quickly their supplies were dwindling.) During the daytime, he would try extremely hard to take Whitebeard's head and at night, he would turn up for bed.

But, being the spiteful and stubborn person that he was, Portgas made sure to only show up a minute after midnight. And every time he appeared for bed, his expression broadcasted how badly he wanted to murder them in their sleep.

Kagome and Marco still considered it a vast improvement from before.

 

* * *

 

.

**1st Year, 4 DEC**

.

"Hey Portgas, can I ask you something?"

Kagome was in the middle of healing a nasty cut on Portgas' back, from when the rookie had collided painfully with the staircase by one of Whitebeard's haki-infused punches.

The two of them had been enjoying a companionable silence until then, before Kagome chose to break it.

She couldn't see his face, but knew that he was wary. "… What is it?"

"Well…" Kagome took a moment to think of the most diplomatic way to phrase her question.

This was something that she had noticed about Portgas right from the start, but she had never voiced it out loud before. Because she knew that if she did, there was a high chance of pissing him off and undoing the cooperation that he was currently showing them. In the end though, she decided that there was no tactful way to go about it. She would have to be blunt.

"You try to kill Jiji over and over again every day, but why? What are you trying to accomplish?"

Portgas tensed, and he turned his head so that he could look her right in the eyes. There was fire in that gaze, so much fire, and for a brief moment Kagome couldn't help but think it was fitting that he was the current fire Logia devil fruit user.

"I keep on trying to kill that shitty old geezer's because I want to claim the title of the strongest fucking pirate in the whole fucking world. I'm going to become the next Pirate King and there won't be a man, woman or child on this earth that won't know my fucking name," he stated, his voice full of quiet confidence.

But Kagome could tell that there was something more to his words that he wasn't telling her. It was something very important that dominated his entire being. A secret of sorts.

"You don't mean it," she replied, and watched as his eyes widened at her declaration.

What she said was completely true though. While Portgas' outer appearance exuded a confidence and surety to his words, it wasn't the same for his inner self. Kagome had always been good at reading people, at seeing deeply into their souls and understanding them. So that was why, from the very beginning, she always knew that Portgas wasn't fully putting his heart into his attempts to kill Whitebeard.

"Who are you trying to convince with those words? Me, or yourself?"

Kagome watched as his face started to flush a deep red with anger. She knew that if she kept on speaking, he would blow up on her. But she wouldn't stop. This, she felt, this was something that really needed to be said.

"You lack conviction. And until you find it within yourself, until you really  _want_  it, then you will never succeed in killing Jiji."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Portgas finally roared, getting to his feet and wheeling to face her. Kagome didn't flinch from his expression. She just met his glare head on. The rookie was panting hard from the sheer force of his anger, while his fists were unclenching and clenching. He looked like he was controlling himself from striking her.

"YOU DON'T KNOW FUCK ALL ABOUT ME, SO YOU CAN JUST TAKE YOUR FUCKING HIGH AND MIGHTY OPINIONS, SHOVE IT UP YOUR FUCKING LILY-WHITE ASS AND FUCK OFF!" he spat, and stormed off before Kagome could finish healing him.

She did not follow.

 

* * *

 

As midnight came and went that very same day, Portgas didn't return to the room again.

Kagome sensed that he was hiding in a supply closet near the bottom levels of the ship, and told Marco so. The phoenix sighed once in exasperation, before getting up and going to fetch the wayward rookie.

When the two men returned, Portgas headed straight for his own bed, resolutely ignoring Kagome's presence.

Kagome wondered if her forcing him to confront his innermost self like that had been such a wise decision. Because after all, no one liked to be told that the very foundation they had built their lives on wasn't as stable as they thought it was.

Portgas didn't speak to her or look at her for the rest of the night.

.

End Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovelies!
> 
> So, in this chapter you'll probably figure out by now who Ryuuou and Maou are. They're the sons of Kagome's him. Just to remind you all again, Ryuuou means 'Dragon King' and Maou means 'Demon King'. Make a guess! Who are they? :D
> 
> And we also see why Kagome doesn't fight anymore. She can't. The death of he-who-must-not-be-named affected her on such a deep level that it's put a psychological block on her mind. So she's unable to use her abilities to form any attacks. Healing, manipulating water currents and controlling water in general, sure. But no attacks.
> 
> No worries though, she'll overcome it eventually, thanks to our foul-mouthed grumpy fire user. XD


End file.
